Stencil making method and apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fnvenor. #PBM-M. P.. L

Aug 16 1932" H. P. ELLIOTT STENCIL MAKING METHOD ND APPARATUS Filed Dec.31, 1928 H. P. ELLIOTT Aug.V 16, 1932.

STENCIL MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Dec. 31, 192'8 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patenten Aug. 16, 1932 PATENT OFFICE HARMON IP. ELLIOTT, OF WATERTOWN,:MASSACHUSETTS STENCIL MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Application medDecember 31, 1928. Serial No. 329,471.

This invention relates to stencil making methods and apparatus.

The stencil `with which this invention is concerned consists of arelatively stiE frame of thick paper which supports a thin paper stencilsheet that bears the printing characters, as addresses and the like. Thestencils are adapted to be run through a stencil printing machine forthe purpose of m printing such characters on letters, bills and thelike.

It is .also common to use the stencils as sources of informationregarding the addresses borne thereby. 'Io this end, the

,5 rframes of the stencils usually bear printed matter and spaces inwhich information can be inserted from time to time. It is common forinstance, to use the stencils as ledger cards; and for this use theframes of the stencils have printed characters providing spaces for theamounts purchased from time to time by the printing addresses of thestencils, and other printing matter relevant to the addresses. Usuallyboth sides of the stencil frame are utilized for this purpose.

Heretofore, I have made the stencil frame in an essentially continuousmanner from a long strip or roll of paper that 1s conducted 1nsuccesslon to a serles of devices Whlch 3o blank out the windows overwhich the stencil sheet is subsequently secured, and which fold thelong-strip lengthwise upon itself, and to other devices that performother steps upon the strip. The' stencil fra-mes are then severed fromthe long strip and the individual frames are run subsequently through aprinting machine twice to print on both sides 'of the stencil.

An object of the present invention is a process and apparatus for themanufacture of stencils which includes the printing of the printed datathat is contained on' both sides of the stencil during the process ofmanufacture thereofand before the frames have been separated from thelong strip from which they are made and, specifically, in carrying outsuch printing before the strip has been folded. In this way, I amenabled to print the data that is on both sides of v the stencil. sheetin one operation instead of the two operations heretofore required, thussaving considerable time and expense and also obtaining an accuracy ofregistration of the printed data on the frame that is diificult tosecure otherwise.

A further object of the invention is generally to improve upon..-stencil making methods and apparatus.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one lface of the stencil made in accordancewith the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the stencil taken along line 2 2 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the partially formed Stencil strip prior to itsbeing folded.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of certain successive steps in themanufacture of the stencil.

Fig; 5 is a side elevation of the windowblanking and printing machine inaccordance with this invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the machine of Fig. 5 taken along line 6 6 ofFig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectiontaken along line 7 7 of Fig. 6 and showing thecutting rolls.

Fig. 8 is a section taken along line 8 8 of Fig. 6 and showing theblanking rolls.

Fig. 9 is a section along line 9 9 of Fig. 6.

A stencil made in accordance with this invention consists of a stiffframe 10 that is composed of two sheets 12a of relatively stiff paperadhesively united to an interposed thin-v ner sheet 14. The sheets 12ahave registering windows 16 therein and the thin sheet 14 is extendedinto the said windows 16 and therein has a window A18. A thin sheet ofstencil paper 2O is adhesively secured to the sheet 14 overthe windowtherein and lies within one of the windows 16 so that it is entirelybelow the surface yof the frame. The .o

stencil frame has printed data 22 thereon which is located below and isin register with the window and occupies both sides of the stencil as isbest shown in Fig. 3. The printed data may be such as to form a ledgersheet in which the amountsI purchased by the address borne by thestencil sheet 20 can be recorded from time to time. This ledger data mayoccupy one face of the stencil while the printed data on the other facemay be used for supplying other desirable information.

In accordance with this invention, the printed data is applied at oneoperation to both faces of the strip or web from which the stencils aresubsequently cut and before the 1strip has been folded lengthwise uponitself.

The various steps of the process are illustrated ldiagrammatically inFig. 4. The paper strip or sheet 12 from which the stencils are made isarranged in roll form. The paper sheet is drawn in a continuous mannerfrom the roll and passes over a guide roll 24 and thence between anupper cut-ting roll 26 and a cooperating lower cylinder roll 28. Thecutting roll is provided with a circumferentially raised continuous edge30, see also Fig. 7, in the middle thereof which cuts into the sheet 12but not completely through it and forms a longitudinal groove or crease32 in the sheet which defines a longitudinall line about which the sheetis adapted to be folded. I y

The cutting roll 26 also is provided with sets of raised cutting edges34 on opposite sides of the edge 30 which bound rectangular spaces andare adapted to cut into the sheet on opposite sides of the line of fold32 and dene the outlines of sets of windows which are adaptedsubsequently to be blanked out of the sheet. The sheet 12 thenpassesbetween upper and lower blanking rolls 36 and 38 respectively, seealso Fig. 8.

Said upper roll is provided with sets of peripherally raised ribs 40 andsaid lower roll 38 is provided with peripheral grooves 42 into whichsaid ribs are adapted to rotate to shear. or sever the blanks 44 whichlie within the scored outlines of the windows, whereby to form thewindows in the sheet. The blanked-out sheet is then passed about a guideroll 46 and thence upwardly between a printing roll48 and a cooperatingplaten roll 50.

The printing roll 48 is provided with suitable type, as electrotypesheets, and operates to print the desired data on the sheet 12,simultaneously on both sides of the line of fold thereon, and inregister with the windows'of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 3. The printedsheet 'thence passes over a guide roll 52 and downwardly in a relativelylong pass and over a take-up roll 54 which is supported on a pivotedlever 56 provided with a counterweight 58 on the other side of the pivotthat partially offsets the weight of the take-up thin horizontal foldingbar 66 supported on a suitable frame 68, which bar is aligned with hefolding crease 32 in the sheet and cooperates with the vertical pressrolls and 72 d-isposed ahead of said bar to fold over the two sides ofthe sheet along the crease line 32 lto bring the windows of the twosides of the sheet into register with each other.'

A long strip of the thin intermediate sheet 14 is fed edge up under thestencil sheet 12 in front of the folding bar 66 and thus is enclosedbetween and is adhesively united to the opposite sides of-the sheet 12when it is folded. The folded strip thence passes to other apparatus notherein shown which cuts a window out of that portion-of the intermediatesheet 14 that is in. the windows of the sheet l2, and which blanks olfthe separate stencils from the long sheet along the lines a-a of Fim 3.

The guide roll 24, the cutting and cylinder rolls 26 and 28, theblanking rolls 36 and 38, the guide roll 46, the printing roll 48 andthe platen 50 and the upper guide roll 52 are united in a unitarystructure and are supported by the frame 74 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The cutting blanking` and printing rolls are all driven at the sameperipheral speed from a common source ofpower as the motor 76. Saidmotor is connected through suitable reduction gearing 8 with a countersha-ft 8O and said counter shaft 80 is connected through other suitablereduction gearing 82 with a shaft 84 of the cutting roll 26. Saidcutting roll has a gear 86 on the other end thereof which meshes with agear 88 of the saine pitch diameter fixed to the cylinder roll 28, seeespecially Fig. 7, so that both rotate at the saine speed.

An idler gear 90 connects the gear 88 with a gear 92 of the saine sizefixed to the shaft of the lower blanking roll 38 so that said blankingroll is driven at the same speed as the cutting roll. The gear of saidblanking roll is in mesh with a gear 94 of the same size fixed to theupper blanking roll 36, see especially Fig. 8, so that both rolls aredriven at the same speed. The printing roll 48 is elevated above theguide roll 46 and is journalled in upstanding brackets 96 of the frame.Suitable inking mechanism, not herein shown, is provided to supply saidroll with ink.

The platen roll 50 has its shaft received elongated slots 100 of theframe so that the platen has a limited extent of adjustment toward andaway from the printing roll and is held in any adjustment by the setscrews 102. The idler roll 52 is supported on eX- tensions 104 of saidbracket 96 and above the printing ro1l.` The printing roll is drivenpositively at the same speed 'as the cutting and blanking roll by meansof an endless chain 106 which is passed about a sprocket 108 fixed tothe shaft of the cutting roll 26 and also about a sprocket 110 of thesame size fixed to the shaft of the printing roll. The lever 56 ofthetake-up roll 54 is pivoted in a bracket 112 which is carried by anddepends below the frame 74 of the The ribs 40 of the blanking roll areprovided with circumferential grooves 40a therein in which fixed'fingers 114 are lo'- cated. Said fingers serve to strip the sheet or theblanks 44 from the roll if they should adhere thereto.

With this arrangement, the printed data is applied to the sheet fromwhich the stencils are subsequently vcut close to the point at which thewindows are blanked out, and the blanking and printing rolls arepositively driven, so that there is little chance for the printed datato be out of register with the Windows due to expansion and contractionof the sheet.` The printing is also effected as a part of thestencilmaking operation and does notrequire a separate operation as hasheretofore been the case. Both facesof the stencil are printed at theSametime instead of in two separate operations as has heretofore beenthe case. The printed data applied by the electrotype roll 48 extends`for the type of stencil here shown, preferably in continuousuninterrupted lines parallel with the rows of windows, as shown in Fig.3, and thus traverse the spaces between the windows and hence is severedwhen the separate frames are separated from the web along the lines a-aand between the windows. .This provides. printed data on each stencil`that etxends completely to the ends of the stencils, which is desirablefor neatness and to minimize the effect of small departuresfrom preciseregistrations.

Thel arrangement thus produces a better stencil at less expense than has'been' the case heretofore.

I claim: f 4

`1. The method of making stencil frames which consists in feeding a webof paper in a continuous manner, blanking windows out of successiveportions ofthe moving web. and printing on said moving web in regis'-ter with the windows therein.

2. The method of making stencil frames which consists in blanking thewindows of successive stencils out of a long sheet, folding4 the sheetlengthwise thereof between the windowrsblanks, and printing on the sheetin register with the windows prior to the folding of the sheet.

` 3. The method of making stencil frames which consists in blanlring outsuccessive pairs of Windows lengthwise of the sheet, folding thel sheetlengthwise between the pairs of Windows,` and printing on the sheetopposite and in register. 'th each pair of windows and on both sides ofthe line of fold after the blanking out of the windows and prior to thefolding .of the sheet.

4. The method of making stencil frames which consists in the followingsteps in the order named, scoring a long sheet in the middle andlengthwise thereof to provide a longitudinal line of fold, scoringthesheet on each side of the line of fold to provide the outlines of spacedpairs of windows, re-

moving the material Within the outlines of the Windows, printing on thesheet in regis ter with each window l and on opposite sides of the lineof fold, applying an adhe sive to the sheet on the side thereof freefrom the printing characters, folding the sheet along the line of foldand about an intermediate sheet, and subsequently severing stencilblanks from the fold-ed sheet.

5. A stencil Amaking machine having the combination offcutting rollshaving means to score a line of'fold in the middle ofv a long sheetpassed between said rolls and also to score the outlines of windows insaid sheet on `opposite sides of the line of fold, blanking rolls havingmeans to blank out the material in the windows of the sheet, printingrolls arranged to print on the sheet on both sides of the line ofv foldand at the windows, driving means which positively rotatably connectssaid blanking and printing rolls, and means to move a sheet to presentsuccessive portions thereof successively to the action `of said rolls.

' 6. A stencilmaking machine having the combination of cutting rollshaving means to score a line of fold in the middle of a long sheetpassed between said rolls and also to score, the outlines of windows insaid sheet on opposite sides of the line of fold, blanking rolls'havingmeans to blank out 'the material in the windows of the sheet, printingrolls arranged to print on the sheet on both sides of the line of foldand in register with the windows, 'and means to move a sheet to presentsuccessive portions thereof successively to the action of said rollsincluding ,means to drive all of said rolls positively at the sameperipheral speed.

7. A stencil making machine having the combination of a cutting roll`adapted to score a sheet to define successive windows therein, meansincluding a blanking roll arranged to vblank out the material of thesheet within the score lines whereby to form thel Windows in the sheet,means including a printing roll arranged to print on the sheet 1nregister with the successive windows, and means to move a paper sheetsuccessively through said rolls.

8. A stencil making machine having the combination of means to form aline to fold in the longitudinal middle of a long sheet,I andlongitudinally-spaced pairs of windows in said sheets on opposite sides,of the line of fold, means to print on one face of the sheet in registerwith each window and on opposite sides of the line of fold, means toapply an adhesive to the other face of the sheet on both sides of theline of fold, means to present an intermediate sheet edgewise to saidfirst sheet at the line of fold, means to fold the sheet about the lineof fold and on opposite sides of the intermediate sheet, and means tomove the long strip in succession between the aforesaid means.

9. The method of making a stencil frame having a window therein andprinted data on the frame in predetermined relation with the window,which method consists in forming successive windows in and spacedlengthwise of a web of paper, printing the printed data beside the rowof windows and across the spaces between the rows, and severing the webinto separate stencil frames between the successive windows and acrossthe printed data.

10. The method of making a stencil frame having a window therein andprinted data on the frame in predetermined relation with the window,which method consists in forming successive windows in and spacedlengthwise of a Web of paper, printing the printed data in a continuousuninterrupted line beside the row of Windows and severing the web intoseparate stencil frames between the successive windows and across thecontinuous line of printed data.

l1. As a new article of manufacture, a stencil-frame web comprising aweb of relatively stiif paper having a continuous scored line of fold inthe middle and along the length thereof, with parallel rows of windowslocated on opposite sides of the line of fold and spaced lengthwise ofthe web, the windows of one row being' aligned with the windows of theother row, and the web having parallel rows of printed data on-oppositesides of the'line of fold, each row consisting of repetitions of, thesame data, and repetitions being aligned with a pair of aligned windowsof the two rows thereof.

12.'As a new article of manufacture a stencil-frame web comprising a webof relatively sti paper having a continuous scored line of fold in themiddle and along the length thereof, with parallelrows of windowslocated on opposite sides of the line of fold and spaced lengthwise ofthe web, the windows of one row being aligned with the windows of theother row, and the web having parallel rows of printed data on oppositesides of the line of fold, each row consisting of repetitions of thesame data, and

HARMON P. ELLIOTT.

